Unlocking the Climate Record Stored within Mars' Polar Layered Deposits

Workshop Overview:

The polar regions of
Mars host layered deposits (PLD;
ice sheets that together have a
volume similar to the Greenland icesheet
on Earth) that record climate
signals over millions of years of
accumulation. The signals stored in
the martian layers are caused by
variations in rates of ice and dust
accumulation and likely record
atmospheric variability and perhaps
volcanic events. To date, climate
models based on derived orbital
parameters have given us the most
insight into what happened in Mars’
recent past (going back ~20 Myr). However, detailed analyses of the PLD layers
would provide a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of the climate
history on Mars and test our climate models on a simplified terrestrial planet.

This study will establish a core group of researchers and technologists that
will be likely to propose a future mission to the Martian polar regions. The broad interdisciplinary
approach necessary for designing an ambitious climate investigation will bring
together a group with a diverse set of skills, and will be very inclusive of many
types of analytical and remote sensing techniques. We will also identify future opportunities to leverage existing facilities for the study of Mars ice analog samples, and testing hardware for
future missions.